This invention is directed toward an improved mounting assembly for use in suspending a member, such as a closure, from a curved track.
The invention is also directed toward a folding closure incorporating the improved mounting assembly.
Closures, particularly folding closures, are often movably suspended from an overhead track by mounting assemblies which mounting assemblies include wheels running on the track. The closures can be folded up for storage, or unfolded to close an opening, by movement, via the wheels, along the track. The wheels on each of the mounting assemblies are usually free to rotate about a central vertical axis during movement on the track to minimize jamming.
On closure installations employing straight track lengths each mounting assembly requires only a single pair of wheels, each wheel pair mounted symmetrically about a vertical support rod, which rod connects the wheel pair to the suspended closure. The pair of wheels are rotatable about the rod, and all the wheel pairs allow the closure to move along the track. On closure installations employing curved track lengths however, the single pair of wheels on each mounting assembly often gets inadvertently turned through ninety degrees when moving through the curved track section. The wheels, as a result, end up with their axis of rotation parallel to, rather than perpendicular to, the track. This can lead to jamming of the closure in the curved section of the track, or at least to hindered movement of the closure with the turned wheel assemblies sliding, rather than rolling, along the track.
To prevent jamming of the closure during movement along the curved track sections, inadvertent rotation of the single wheel pair on the mounting assemblies, it is known to provide each mounting assembly with two pairs of wheels, one pair behind the other. The extra pair of wheels increases the operative track length of mounting assembly and this prevents the wheel assembly from turning sideways in the track. The extra pair of wheels on each mounting assembly however adds considerable expense to the closure, particularly on long folding closures used to close open store fronts.